At Carnegie Hall

Performer: Tony Bennett
Engineer: Frank Laico
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Tony Bennett (vocals); Ralph Sharon (conductor). Reissue producer: Didier C. Deutsch CARNEGIE HALL recreates the original 1962 performance by adding 18 unreleased songs to the existing 26-song double album. This is part of Columbia Records' Tony Bennett Masters Series. Recorded on June 9, 1962, one week before the release of the I Left My Heart in San Francisco album that would catapult Tony Bennett's career into the stratosphere, this concert album effectively sums up his accomplishments so far. Some of the hits -- "Stranger in Paradise," "Rags to Riches," "Because of You" -- are still on the set list (although drastically rearranged), but clearly he has found his true repertoire in reinventions of older material like "All the Things You Are" (the version here is exquisite) and good choices of new songs -- he champions the team of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, and introduces "San Francisco," which some in the audience already know. (Released as a single in advance of the San Francisco album, it was in the charts already.) And on the album's original four LP sides, Bennett managed to find time for such experiments as an up-tempo "Ol' Man River" featuring percussionist Candido, a throwback to his innovative Beat of My Heart album. More than his greatest-hits collections of the '50s and early '60s, it gives a broad sense of Bennett's work, and it does so in the format with which he's most comfortable -- live in concert. ~ William Ruhlmann This two-CD set is recorded concert performance at its best. Originally recorded in 1962, Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall is a testament to Bennett's live vocal ability. Backed by the Ralph Sharon Orchestra, Bennett moves far beyond his standard musical catalogue. Along with standards like "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Just in Time," Bennett reached out to create great medleys such as "(I Like New York in June) How About You/April in Paris," that automatically become his as soon as they are performed. Forty-four tracks altogether, this latest printing of the concert is the first to cover the entire performance. Most remarkable is the clarity of the recording of the concert. If not for the tremendous applause of the audience, you could swear that Bennett had recorded each track in the studio. This is the Tony Bennett album to buy for any Bennett fan or those just introduced to his music. ~ Christopher Fielder This is the complete version of the triumphant 1962 Carnegie Hall concert, recorded on the heels of Tony Bennett's giant hit "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," and previously released as an abridged 2-LP set. Since this is Tony Bennett in his prime, backed by the superb Ralph Sharon Orchestra and featuring contributions from such superior musicians as jazz tenor Al Cohn, vibraphonist Eddie Costa and guitarist Kenny Burrell, the extra 18 tracks can only be a welcome addition to his catalogue. There are no dead spots here. Bennett is exuberant throughout the nearly two hours he is onstage, utterly professional yet never delivering a song by rote, as all the hits from "Rags To Riches" through "San Francisco" receive a fresh treatment. An unexpected discovery is Bennett's affinity for the Broadway songs of Kurt Weill, heard here in a medley including "My Ship," "Speak Low" and the magnificent "Lost In the Stars."

One of the finest voices of 20th century American pop, Tony Bennett began his career in the '50s, under the watchful eye of producer Mitch Miller, recording huge hits such as "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and "Because of You." In 1958, his album BASIE SWINGS-BENNETT SINGS was a precursor to later jazz-based work. That same year, "Firefly" was Bennett's last US Top 40 entry until 1962, when he made a major comeback with the Grammy-winning "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." In '93 and '94 he was awarded Grammys for his albums PERFECTLY FRANK and STEPPIN' OUT.

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